


Alec loves cows

by Malecfan09



Series: Malec husband & family one-shots [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Cheese, Cows, Cute Kids, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Husbands, M/M, Milk, Minor character Will, One Big Happy Family, Switzerland, Yes this does make a story, estive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 09:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29997273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malecfan09/pseuds/Malecfan09
Summary: A question about milk becomes a trip to Switzerland and a meet-greet with Alec’s favourite animal
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Malec husband & family one-shots [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171355
Comments: 17
Kudos: 34





	Alec loves cows

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lilyofwalley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilyofwalley/gifts).



> This story was what I was aiming for when I took a left turn and ended up in the Pyrenees with the last fic I posted! Just don’t ask!
> 
> So I know cows aren’t generally that friendly but they are curious, so let’s just pretend, okay!
> 
> To my wonderful and always generous @lilyofwalley for helping me to beta this and finish it satisfactorily and just for being you. I know you love cows too. 🐄💜
> 
> And this one is also for you Matthew Daddario! 🐄
> 
> None of the characters are mine, of course, they belong to the great Cassandra Clare. Any mistakes are mine alone and I own them completely.

  


  


“Do you know where the milk that you have in your cereal for breakfast comes from?”

  


A seemingly simple question posed by Alec to his two boys one rainy Saturday morning as they are trying to build a leggo castle.

  


Max looks at his dad with wide eyes, sucking on a wing of his blue bat for a bit of reassurance and shakes his head. Rafe sits up from where he has been choosing between a red brick and a blue brick, folds his arms across his chest and frowns. Magnus’s heart does a little flip…he looks so like his dad. Rafe is clearly thinking hard but comes up with an answer pretty quickly.

  


“Yep…the supermarket”. He has a look on his face as if to say, are you stupid or what?

  


“Hmm…good answer Rafe…to a question that was not clear enough. So yes, milk comes from the supermarket but who _makes_ the milk?” Alec hopes that he has asked the correct question this time. He’s not holding his breath though.

  


Rafe looks stumped and …slightly shocked. “Someone makes milk, dad? But how?”

  


Alec is glad now that he asked this question as there is clearly a cow-sized gap in his children’s education. And considering that cows are one of his _favourite_ animals this gap needs to be rectified _as soon as possible_.

  


“Well… the milk you have in your cereal comes from cows. They produce their milk from the grass that they eat. Pretty neat, huh? And the cows themselves are really adorable and they have these lovely eyes and sweet little faces and…”

  


Magnus interrupts him before he bores the children completely to death with his raptures over cows.

  


“…And I think it would be a grand thing if we were to get out of this loft, into a bit of sunshine and introduce you both to dad’s favourite animal.”

  


This proposal is an instant success, with the boys jumping up and running around the living room shouting that they want to see some cows and Alec grinning like a Cheshire cat and giving Magnus such a big hug that he sees stars for a few seconds.

  


They get the boys in appropriate clothing and after checking the world weather report, Magnus opens a portal to an _estive_ in Switzerland.

  


“What is an _estive_ dad?” It is a good question and Alec is quick to praise his son for his curiosity and explain that an _estive_ is like a summer holiday mountain retreat for cows where they can eat green grass all summer while the grass in the valleys is cut and dried to make hay for the winter. The boys are fascinated and ask more questions about the life of a cow until Magnus reminds them that they are here to actually meet some cows so they’d better get their legs moving before the sun sets.

  


They only have a short walk to a small hut in this pastureland plateau. They can see a few cows grazing not far away but first Magnus would like to introduce them to Will who is the herder living here over the summer.

  


The hut is small but comfortable with all the basic necessities. Will is delighted to see Magnus and meet his family. Will is a warlock that Magnus knows from his wanderings around Europe in the 1800’s. He is a bit of a recluse so being a herder is the perfect job for him. He tells them all a little bit about his life in the mountains and then leads them round to the back of his hut where there is another structure leaning into the hillside. He explains that this is his _fromagerie_ , the place where he converts the milk into cheese, as the milk would otherwise be wasted. Cows need to be milked everyday or they will get infections and he is several days away from any refrigerator.

  


As they enter the _fromagerie_ , the smell of fresh and fermenting cheese hits their senses and they all gasp as one. Rafe is the first to ask if he can taste a bit and Max is quick to demand his share. Magnus magicks up some bread and a few tomatoes and they take some cheese outside and enjoy the snack in the bright, clean mountain air.

  


Once everyone has had their fill they thank Will and head onto the pastureland to find a cow or two to say hello to. Magnus thinks that his husband is possibly more excited than the children, in fact, he is sure he is. His long legs bring him swiftly over the terrain and Magnus and the boys are left trailing behind in his wake. All his attention is fixed on the cows ahead of him. It is rather charming.

  


When Alec gets close enough, he stops, holds a hand out to the cow and waits. Slowly but surely, the beautiful swiss-brun inches closer until Alec feels her hot breath on the palm of his hand. Her ears switch as she tries to chase away a few annoying flies. Her nose is soft and wet and as Alec reaches forward to give her a little caress, he reckons that he is in cow heaven. Luckily Magnus manages to take a few photos of this adorable sight so Alec has a lovely reminder of his day with his _favourite_ animal.

  


The day doesn’t end there though. The children and Magnus approach the cow carefully, Max wrapped around his papa’s leg and watching the cow with wary eyes. Rafe is a little more courageous, he is a fearless shadowhunter afterall, going to stand next to his dad and waiting patiently for his preoccupied father to acknowledge him. It takes Magnus asking Alec if he could lift Rafe up to greet the cow, to bring Alec out of his reverie. He apologises profusely to his sons and immediately lifts Rafe up to eye level with the cow. Rafe hesitantly sticks out a hand and gets a wet, scratchy lick from the cow for his bravery. He squeals in delight, which scares the cow into retreating a few meters. Once he has calmed down and the cow starts to show interest again, it is Max’s turn. This time Alec encourages Max to collect a bit of grass and to present the grass to the cow with his hand flat. The cow snuffles at Max’s hand, which makes him giggle in delight as the cow’s warm breath tickles his palm. He pulls his hand away quickly when he feels the cow’s tongue and most of the grass falls to the ground but for a first attempt his dad is proud of him.

  


Now the ice is broken there is no stopping the boys who collect up armfuls of grass and drag their parents from cow to cow, each parent acting as a ladder so that the boys can feed their new friends. Magnus somehow manages to take a few photos throughout the rest of the day until finally they have to say their last farewells before leaving the _estive_ , everyone enchanted by their bovine encounter.

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this please let me know


End file.
